Motives And Strings

In going through my hard drive, I found an old e-mail from 10 years ago last month. I had written it to my daughter, who was then only a year old. It speaks to me more today than it ever did then.

Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 12:53:50 -0600
Subject: Motives

Dear Daughter,

There are things you realize when you "come of age." You'll realize, that adults don't have it all together, at least not all the time.

I'm finding out that you can do the right things even with the right spirit but still have the wrong motives most of the time. Sarah, most christians can battle desperately with sin and no one will have a clue until they reach some sort of crisis.

Back in the late 80s, the american press thrived on scandal. So when a prominent Christian leader named Jimmy Swaggart admitted to having a fling with a prostitute and repented before his congregation, they pounced on it. The scene of a man in authority blubbering and sobbing behind the pulpit for 30 seconds fascinated America or at least it's press. He had reached a crisis. He knew that a person in his position doing what he did was going to hurt someone eventually. And when he knew it couldn't go any farther, he came out and was judged. That coupled with a few more scandals crippled the church from making a very important statement on morality at a very crucial time.

So I, along with every other Christian including you, struggle with sin. Sometimes some struggle more intensely than others. We must always approach others with mercy and grace when we see them struggling. What are we doing anyway without the love of God in our hearts and on our lips?

What I am struggling with now is a bit more fundamental. It's a crisis of motives. As I have taken a sabatical from the ministry, I'm finding I am less resistant to sin. I don't put up as much of a fight as I used to. I was avoiding sin and doing the right things because I was in authority and leading others. The Swaggart scandal scarred my mind and heart. I didn't want the same scandal to affect the ministry God was doing through me. It was a good motive but not the best.

It wasn't the best motive because when the ministry ended or paused, the reason to keep from sinning also was lessend or reduced. I have motives for avoiding sin now, but not nearly as strong as before. It's because I didn't invest in the right motives while I was leading that has brought me to this crisis. So what are the right motives and how do I recover?

Right motives have certain qualities about them. They are pure, unmixed and serve a larger purpose. The best ones are also timeless. It can't be fixed to something in this life because life changes. The certainty in life is that it will change. Therefore, if my motives are fixed to something as limited as a position or season in my life, the motive, although good, will still crumble and fall when the reason for it being there ends. So the best motive is timeless. It is tied to the eternal. What is eternal? God is obviously eternal and His characteristics are eternal, such as holiness and love. So if we do right things out of love for God, out of desire for His holiness in our lives, we have the best motive. It will not crumble and fall.

It's like the man who built his house on the sand. When the wind and rain came and removed the sand, the house fell down flat, putting the builder in a crisis. But if you anchor your house to bedrock, something that's not going anywhere for a long time, chances are your house will not go anywhere either.

My dear daughter, invest yourself in what is eternal on a daily basis. Let your motives be tied to God and His love for you and all of us. That will keep you motivated, because everytime you pray, everytime you sing a praise song to him, the source of your motivation becomes clear and strong.

Have you tried guitar yet? I have yet to learn it, although I want to. When you see a guitar string, you see that it is tied at both ends to something. When you touch that string, it reverberates into the very heart of the guitar. When something touches your motives, it should reverberate into the very heart of God.

I love you very much.

Your Daddy.

PS. Right now you are finding noses and eyes and learning who everyone is and what the difference between daddy's nose and your nose is. I'll ask you where's daddy's eyes and then I'd better watch out because I've got a poke in the eye coming. I can't wait until I ask you where Jesus is and you point to your heart. Uh-oh (one of your favorite words right now). You're waking up from your nap...

Recently, we hosted a wonderful guest named Rosie Boom, who blessed us with a private concert at home. God used her to minister greatly to us. There is something wonderful about having an instrument in your home that can't be duplicated or recorded. It reverberates with us and connects with us. She let God use her ministry on just a single family. It was nearly too rich a gift to receive. I'll close with a lyric she sang us,

Don't you fret now, child
Don't you worry
The rain's to help you grow
So don't you hurry the storm along
The hard times make you strong.